Friday, March 29, 2019

A Chinese J-11B fighter jet is photographed carrying a new type of air-to-air missile. Photo: China Central Television

The J-11B fighter jet has become the latest user of China's self-developed world-class air-to-air missile that was feared by senior US military officers, revealed China's national broadcaster on Monday.

A photo appeared on a China Central Television (CCTV) program on Monday shows a J-11B under the People's Liberation Army Air Force carrying a large missile under its wing.

The J-20 stealth fighter jet carried the same type of missile and made public display at the Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, in November 2018, CCTV reported.

This is the first time a J-11B is spotted carrying this type of missile, the report said.

"Judging from the shape and aerodynamic design plus the J-20 reference, the missile is very likely to be the PL-15 air-to-air missile," Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Wei compared the PL-15 with the US' latest AIM-120 missile, as both have very long effective range that would allow the launch platform to become an airborne sniper, enabling an aircraft to hunt hostile fighters, early warning aircraft and aerial tankers from beyond visual range.

A J-11B fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force with the PLA Northern Theater Command flies at low altitude through valleys during a flight training exercise on January 8, 2019. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn

US media outlet the National Interest said the PL-15's effective range could be much higher than the AIM-120's 180 kilometers, but that could be an exaggeration, according to Wei.

The PL-15 is also equipped with an active electronically scanned array radar, which makes evasion very difficult, Bloomberg reported.

Then-US Air Force general Herbert Carlisle voiced serious concern about the PL-15 missile when it was first made public in 2015, as he called on the US Congress to fund a response, the Bloomberg report said.

Wei said the technology of the PL-15 has matured, so it can now be put on a variety of platforms, including the J-11B.

By equipping the missile, the J-11B's aerial combat capability can be greatly boosted, the CCTV report said.

The J-11B is less advanced than other Chinese fighters like the J-20, and some military observers said the J-11B's radar could be outdated in a way that it cannot see far enough what the PL-15 can hit at maximum range.

But that would not be a problem if the fighter is supported by other warplanes like an early warning aircraft, which can send target data to the J-11B, Wei said.

Dubbed by Chinese military observers as the "aerial trident," the J-20, J-16 and J-10C fighter jets, conducted air defense penetration drills in June 2018, with all of them reportedly carrying the PL-15 missiles. Now the J-11B could join the PL-15 club.a

Sunday, June 03, 2018

Here it is -- PLAAF's tip of the spear "Ménage à trois" for air defense penetration

Joking aside, folks should see this new "high end package" of J-20,
J-10C plus J-16 formulating from miles away. It should come as no
surprise to anyone, in fact it is an expected and natural consequence of
the recent development.

China's fighter jets hold 'perfect combination' training

Source
Global Times
Editor
Li Jiayao

Time
2018-06-03

China's People's Liberation Army Air Force recently conducted combat
training involving three types of its most advanced fighter jets,
carrying air-to-air missiles, which a Chinese expert called a perfect
combination.

"The three fighter jets… and the two missiles are perfect combinations,"
Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global
Times on Sunday.

The J-20 is capable of destroying a hostile air defense system. The
J-10C can then take air supremacy, while the J-16 can strike enemy
ground forces, Song said, adding that using the PL-15 and PL-10 together
can cover both long-range and short-range aerial combat.

"The combination will serve as an important aerial deterrent against external forces," Song added.

wo fighter jets attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under
the PLA Southern Theater Command soar over the sky for a combat sortie
during a flight training exercise in late May, 2018.
(eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Tang Jun)

J-20 with J-10 to its left

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Offical photo of the day: J-11B with next generation of Chinese AAM (PL-10 ASRAAM and PL-15 LRAAM)

Since the 2016 Zhuhai airshow, photos of J-10 and J20 armed with PL-10
ASRAAM and PL-15 LRAA are now a common sight. PL-10 is China's answer
to the US AIM-9X Sidewinder, both with high off-bore sight capability,
thrust-vectoring control (TVC) and able to "lock on" via helmet-mounted
sights (HMS). Paring with the PL-10 is the PL-15 LRAAM with a range of
200km, tasked for beyond visual range engagements, similar to US'
AIM120-D of the same class.

Judging by this photo released by China's official Xinhua news agency
yesterday, the PLAAF has retrofitted their older J-11B heavy fighters
with this latest pair of advanced AAM. They are not just for PLAAF
top-of-the-line anymore.

J-11B with PL-10 and PL-15 AAM

J-10C with PL-10 and PL-15

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Photos of the day: J-20 mounting a pair of PL-10 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles

Monday, March 25, 2019

In this drill, the People's Armed Police, Gansu Corps simulated a manhunt to catch 6 terrorists. Yup, if PR pictures below is a correct depiction, one of the tools available to the PAP in this hunt is flamethrower. Really begs the question on how to get positive identification on those suspects afterward.

Note that I first blogged this unit 10 years ago (see below) with 6 known birds, it sure has grown a lot since then

Multi-type early warning (EW) aircraft attached to an aviation division
with the navy of the PLA Northern Theater Command sit abreast on the
flightline prior to the round-the-clock flight training on subjects as
the early warning detection, the command and control in late March,
2019. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Xing Yun)
.

Operators aboard a KJ-200 early warning (EW) aircraft attached to an
aviation division with the navy of the PLA Northern Theater Command keep
eyes on the air situation during the round-the-clock flight training on
subjects as the early warning detection, the command and control in
late March, 2019. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Xing Yun)

A KJ-200 airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft attached
to an aviation division with the navy of the PLA Northern Theater
Command flies in the sky during a round-the-clock flight training
exercise in late March, 2019. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Xing Yun)

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

A KJ-200 airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft attached to a Navy
aviation regiment under the PLA Northern Theater Command the taxies
towards the runway in a military airfield in Jiaodong Peninsula, east
China’s Shandong province during an air patrol mission in the 2018
Spring Festival holiday. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Xing Yun)

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Judging from the latest PR release of the PLAN-AF 2nd 'specialized"
division, its fourth regiment is getting at lease three new Y-8GX5
(KJ-200) AEW&C aircrafts

Saturday, April 25, 2009

PLANAF 2nd "Specialized" Division

PLANAF 2nd "Specialized" Division, North Sea Fleet, PLA Navy is
headquartered in Dialing with primary focus on ASW, ELINT and other EW
related missions. It was commissioned in April 1952 in Ningbo’s
Zhuang Airport from Army’s 138th Division, 44th Army, 4th Field Army
with Lai Jinhua as its first commander. Its three regiments are: 4th,
5th and the 6th.

GULF of ADEN, Jan. 25 (ChinaMil) -- The amphibious dock landing ship Kunlunshan (Hull 998) of the 31st Chinese naval escort taskforce successfully deterred six approaching suspected pirate boats during its escorting mission in the Gulf of Aden on the afternoon of January 22nd, local time, ensuring the safety of the merchant ship.

According to reports, the protected merchant ship by the 31st Chinese naval escort taskforce was the Panamanian tanker VICTORIA 267. The tanker is highly vulnerable to pirate attacks due to its slow speed, low freeboard, and weak self-defense capability.

At 14:30 on January 22nd, the radar position on board the Chinese naval ship Kunlunshan suddenly reported: “Azimuth 074, distance 42 chain, we spotted a group of suspicious targets."

That day, the visibility on the misty Gulf of Aden was poor. The ship Kunlunshan maneuvered at a high speed toward the suspicious targets to isolate them from the protected tanker, and meanwhile activated the warning whistle. However, the suspicious targets continued to travel towards the 31st Chinese naval escort taskforce at a high speed.

“Level I anti-piracy deployment!” As the order from the command post sent out, the battle positions including radars, optoelectronics and heavy machine guns began to closely follow the suspicious targets, ready to respond to any emergencies.

At the same time, two helicopters carrying Chinese special operations soldiers took off from the Chinese ship Kunlunshan. The No. 1 helicopter maneuvered toward the suspicious targets and conducted close-range reconnaissance in midair, while the No. 2 helicopter flew over the vicinity of the protected tanker to conduct patrol and full-time cover.

The video shot by the No. 1 helicopter hovering over the suspicious targets showed that the targets were suspected of six pirate boats. Seeing no opportunity to act, the six suspected pirate boats stopped maneuvering. The Chinese ship Kunlunshan and the protected tanker then resumed their course and speed after leaving the dangerous waters.

At present, the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia are often covered with fog as a result of the monsoon, covering the activities of pirates. The commanding officer of the 31st Chinese naval escort taskforce said that the taskforce will conduct specific training targeting at current pirate activities to ensure that once there is danger, the taskforce can respond quickly and efficiently, so as to ensure the safety of the vessels being protected.

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Two naval pilots die in Hainan crash

By Zhao Lei | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-03-12 16:37

Two naval pilots died on Tuesday morning after their warplane crashed in
a flight training session in Ledong county of Hainan province, the
Chinese Navy said on Tuesday afternoon, adding there were no casualties
on the ground.